Record-controlled machine



- R. E. PAGE RECORD-60NTROLLED MACHINE I Oct. 3, 1939.

Filed Marh 25, 1938 3 SheetsSheet l ATTORNEY Oct. 3, 1939. R. E. PAGE RECORD-CONTROLLED MACHINE Filed March 25, 1938 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 'ATTORNEY 0a. 3, 1939. R. AG 2,114,705

RECORD-CONTROLLED MACHINE Filed.March 25, 1938 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 SHIFT VEL 06/7) IN TOR ATTORNEY OFFICE UNITED sires RECORD-CONTROLLED MACmNE Ralph E. Page, West Orange, N. J., assignor to International Business Machines Corporation, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application March 25, 1938, Serial No. 198,018

Claims. (Cl. 74393) This invention relates to record-controlled ma-' the invention to the machine selected for purchines particularly those controlled by perforatposes of description. ing accounting and statistical record cards such The main framework of the machine includes as are used in the well known Hollerith system. an end plate It and a back plate H which is The broad object of the present invention is to secured to the rear edge of the end plate Ill by 5 provide an improved driving mechanism for means of screws. Bars like I2 are secured to record-controlled machines. the back of plate H in spaced relation with said An object is to provide an improved driving plate by means of studs I3 (Fig. 1) which are mechanism for machines which require the use screwed into tapped holes in the rear edge of of one-revolution clutches which must be started plate Hi, the studs I3 also serving to secure from rest repeatedly in the course of the operthe plate ii toplate it. The bar l2 supports ation of the machine. the comparing units described in the above An object is to provide a driving mechanism application, one of which is generally designated which causes the speed of the shaft which drives M n Figs- 1 d S eured t0 t e left hand certain parts controlled by clutches to be reduced face of the frame plate It is a frame casting I5 at the point where the clutches are engaged on which is mounted the driving mechanism. without actually stopping the driving shaft, in The machine is driven by means of a motor, order to permit the clutches to be engaged withnot shown, through a belt l6 and a pulley I! out risk of rebound of the driven parts and avoid which is rotatably mounted on a stud l8 supother difficulties which are experienced when ported by a boss ISa formed in the casting I5, mechanisms must be started suddenly from rest the p y IT Tete'ting n t e d rectio of the by a drive shaft which is rotating continually. arrow in Fig. 3- See t0 the p y i7 is a An object is to provide a driving mechanism p on l9 Wh e e With a a e ar 0 for machines of the above type which results in r teb y mounted p t a n dr ve shaft of smoother operation and closer synchronization he mac ne Wh c s d ated 2! in the drawof parts which must be started and stopped and se meter Constantly retates the p y i7 synchronized by means of clutches, 1 while the machine is in use, whereby the gear 2!! Further object of the instant i nti r will be constantly rotated in a counterclockwise side in any novel feature of construction or direction operation or novel combination of parts present The e t a d d 0 s af 2| is pp ed y in the embodiment of the invention described a p of n ii bearings 2 m nte in a and shown in the accompanying drawings, block 23 which is secured to frame casting I5 by hether ithin or without the scope of the apmeans of screws 24. The blOCk 23 1S SllbStSJbpended claims and irrespective of other specific tieily y d c but is flattened Where it is in statements as to the scope of the invention con- Contact With the frame said frame being t ained h ein, formed with 9. lug 15b extending at right angles In th drawings: to the plane of the plate it for mounting said Fig. 1 is a plan view of a portion of the left blockhand end of the machine and shows the driving Means a e p v 0 interconnect t e ar mechanism; 20 and the shaft 2! whereby the shaft is caused Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the drivingmechto oscillate periodically with reference to the anism; gear, so that the speed of the shaft varies periodi- Fig. 3 is a left side view partly in section of the Cally While the gear 9 is being ate t & 00 driving mechanism; stant speed. Pivoted on a stud 25 carried by Fig. 4 is a curve showing how the speed of the the ear 2 is a l ver 26 which takes the form driven shaft varies in a single revolution thereof. o an p frame having tWO b anc es 00n- The drawings show how the driving mechanism nected at diametrically opposite points of shaft is incorporated in a record-controlled machine 2| e t p p y of the r ecu ed and by Way of example the one disclosed in to the shaft 2| adjacent lever-26 is an arm 2'! application Serial No. 117,493, filed December Which is mounted on said shaft by means of a 24, 1936, by Ralph E. Page, has been selected. h b pinn d to h ha wh y the rm r0- It will be evident from the following descriptates therewith. The bulk of arm 2'! is in the tion that the invention disclosed herein may be plane of the lever 26 within the space formed applied to other machines equally as well; thereby the tWO nt c n ted b anc es C p s fore, it is not desired to limit the application of aid leve The arm 21 s lso ent to he r h 5 and outwardly at right angles to the shaft 2| (Fig. 1) at which point it is bifurcated.

Pivotally mounted upon a stud 28 carried by lever 26 is a block 29 which has two oppositely disposed shoulders on which the parallel side walls of the bifurcation in arm 21 rests with a sliding fit. A washer which is larger in diameter than the width of the bifurcation in arm 21 and a retaining clip of conventional form forced into a circumferential groove on the end of the stud 28 loosely holds the walls of the bifurcations in arm 21 in engagement with the shoulders on the block 28 whereby lever 26 is capable of oscillatory motion with respect to gear 20 and the pivot 28 has a slight radial movement relative to the shaft 2|. A cam roller 30 is mounted upon a stud 3| carried by one of the branches of lever 26 and rides in a cam slot 23a but in the left hand face (Fig. 1) of the block 23.

As the gear 20 rotates the stud 25 forces the lever 26 to rotate in a counterclockwise direction and thereby, through the stud 2B and block 29, produces similar motion in the arm 21 due to the fact that the pin 3| carrying the cam roller 30 acts as a fulcrum for the lever 26. As the gear 20 rotates, the stud 3| is caused to travel in a counterclockwise direction whereby the roller 30 follows the cam slot 23a. If the entire cam slot 230. is made concentric with the shaft 2|, the gear 20 will be in effect locked to the shaft 2| and both will rotate at the same speed, as the pins 28, 3|, and 25 will all follow concentric circular paths.

The cam slot 23a is circular with respect to the shaft 2| for approximately 192 and between this point and 360 the cam groove turns inwardly toward the center of shaft 2| for a brief dwell period at 276 and then outwardly to again meet the concentric portion at 360. Thus, in effect-the cam has first a drop and then a rise of approximately 84 each. In Fig. 3 the roller 30 is shown in the brief dwell which occurs after 276 of rotation of the shaft from an arbitrary starting position, it being remembered that the shaft rotates continuously. This arbitrary starting position may be considered to be the point at which the roller 30 in Fig. 3 leaves the rise in the cam and re-enters the concentric portion of the groove.

During the initial period in which the roller 30 is traveling in the concentric portion of the cam groove, the studs 25, 28, and 3| all follow in circular paths which are all concentric with shaft 2| and the arm 2'! is not displaced relative to the driving gear 29. After 192 of rotation from the arbitrary starting point the roller 3| reaches the drop in the cam groove and commences to move inwardly toward the shaft 2|. Owing to the shape of the cam groove, the initial inward radial movement of the'roller 3| is rather slow but, as the roller approaches the half way point between the dwell and the end of the concentric portion of the cam groove, the speed of roller toward the shaft 2| reaches a maximum and then starts to move more slowly until the inward movement becomes zero when the roller reaches the brief dwell in the cam groove. During the inward movement of the roller, the gear 20 maintains its constant speed whereby the lever 26 is caused to rock in a clockwise direction on the stud 25 in consequence of the movement of roller 30 toward the shaft 2|. Thus, the arm 21 is caused to move in a clockwise direction relative to gear 20 and this movement, which'is slow at first but is continually increasing until the half way point is reached, causes the arm 21 to lag behind the gear 20. In other words, from 192 of rotation to 234 of rotation, which corresponds with the half way point, the shaft 2| loses speed. The minimum speed is reached at 234 after which the roller 30 in its continued movement toward the shaft 2| moves with diminishing speed radially until, when the roller reaches the dwell which occurs at 276 of rotation of the gear 20, the roller remains stationary momentarily whereby the arm 21 is held fixed relative to gear 2|] and both the gear and shaft 2| travel at the same speed as indicated by the curve in Fig. 4.

During the next 84 of rotation of gear 20, the roller 39 travels up the rise in the cam groove 23a. causing the speed of shaft 2| to increase, slowly at first, and reaching a maximum at 318 which occurs when the roller is approximately half way up the rise. Thereafter, the roller 31] continues its outward movement away from shaft 2| at a continually diminishing speed until the radial speed of the roller becomes zero, when it again enters the concentric portion of the cam groove. The shape of the cam and the relation of the parts controlled by the camv groove is such that at 234 the shaft 2| is momentarily turning at approximately 40% of its normal speed in illustrative embodiment of the invention and at 318 at 40% above normal. However, it will be understood that by alteration in the duration of the dwell periods and by changing the shape or extent of the drop and rise in the cam groove the speed may be varied between Wide limits and the periods of reduced or increased speed changed as desired. It is not desired, therefore, to be limited either by the shape of the parts or by the specific form of cam groove illustrated in the drawings.

It will be seen from the foregoing that, while the gear 20 rotates at a constant speed, the speed of shaft 2| oscillates between maximum and minimum limits, the minimum limit being attained after 234 of rotation from the end of the rise and the maximum being attained after approximately 313 of rotation from the end of the rise.

The shaft 2| not only drives the comparing unit l4 through spur gears 32 but also drives the pocket feed rollers 33 (Figs. 1 and 2) by means of spiral pinions 34. Said shaft through clutches and driven shafts not shown, which clutches are of the one-revolution type having a definite point of engagement, also drives certain other feed rollers not shown and other mechanisms of the machine. Since these clutches are of the one-revolution type,it has been found by experience that during the operation of the machine described in the above application, the clutches engage with a jar and, since they drive two independent card feed mechanisms which must be kept in exact synchronism, difliculty has been experienced with the machine getting out of time due to the fact that the driven shafts tend to rebound unequally when the clutches engage. With the drive mechanism shown in the drawings, the machine is so timed that the energization of the magnets which control the clutches takes place slightly before 234 point in the cycle, whereby at the point of engagement with the clutches, the main drive shaft 2| will be turning at its minimum speed thereby causing the engagement of the clutches to be accomplished without any of the harmful effects experienced with the machine described in the above application.

In the comparing unit I4 and in the other similar comparing unit which is not shown but which is described in the above application, there is provided certain bail mechanism which is caused to oscillate back and forth by means of a cam and drives certain parts which take numerical settings under control of the perforated records which control the operation of the machine. Since the timing of the bail mechanisms is such that they commence their operating stroke shortly before the feed clutch is engaged, it is evident that these bails will operate more smoothly than heretofore because at the time the bails are changing their direction of movement from the restoring movement to their active stroke, the speed of shaft 2| will be considerably less than the speed of gear 20.

While there has been shown and described and pointed out the fundamental novel features of the invention as applied to a single modification, it will be understood that various omissions and substitutions and changes in the form and details of the device illustrated and in its operation may be made by those slL lled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention. It is the intention therefore to be limited only as indicated by the scope of the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In driving mechanism for record controlled machines, a continually rotating driving member, a driven member, an arm connected to the driven member, a lever having its ends pivotally connected to said arm and said driving member, a roller on said lever intermediate its ends and a relatively fixed cam controlling said roller, said roller following the contour of said cam as the driving and driven members are rotated, said cam being so shaped that during a portion of the revolution of the driving member the end of said lever connected to said arm is displaced and eifccts a displacement of said arm to an extent determined by the shape of the cam whereby to cause said arm and the driven member to first lag in speed behind the driving member, and thereafter to recover the loss in speed.

2. In a, machine of the class described, the combination of a driving gear, a driven shaft, an arm secured to said shaft, a lever having its ends pivotally connected to said arm and said gear, a fixed cam mounted adjacent said lever and a roller mounted on said lever intermediate its ends and engaging said cam whereby when the gear rotates said roller is caused to follow the contour of the fixed cam, said cam being so shaped that the driven shaft is caused to lag and lead respectively in speed relative to the gear.

3. In a machine of the class described, the combination of a continually rotating driving element, a driven element mounted in juxtaposition to the driving element, a lever pivotally connected at its ends to the driving and driven elements respectively, and cam means acting upon said lever intermediate its ends for producing a periodic displacement of said lever relative to the driving element during the course of the rotation of the driving element whereby to vary the speed of the driven element periodically.

4. In a machine of the class described, the combination of rotatable driving and driven elements, a lever pivotally connected at its ends to the driving and driven elements respectively, and cam means acting upon said lever near its center and operative during the course of the rotation of the driving element to cause a periodic oscillation of said lever about its pivotal connection to said driving element whereby to vary the speed of the driven element.

5. In a machine of the class described, the combination of a rotatable driving element, a rotatable driven element mounted adjacent the driving element, said driving and driven elements having their axes of rotation coincidental, a rigid coupling lever extending substantially diametrical of both the driving and driven members and pivotally interconnecting the driving and driven members at diametrically opposite points, a cam mounted adjacent the driving and driven members so as to be coaxial therewith and having a cam track disposed eccentric with the axis of rotation of the driving and driven members, and a cam follower located intermediate the ends of said member close to its axis of rotation and cooperating with said cam track, said cam track causing said member to be oscillated about its pivot to the driving member as a center so as to periodically advance and retard the driven member during the course of its rotation Whereby to periodically vary the speed of the driven member.

RALPH E. PAGE. 

